Max Verstappen won a pretty uneventful Qatar Grand Prix, taking the lead at the start, from second on the grid, and holding off all challengers to score his ninth victory in 2024.
The win marked a turnaround for Verstappen, who struggled in the sprint race a day earlier before scoring pole in qualifying for the race and never really looking challenged in the Grand Prix.
“It was a very good race,” said Verstappen. “That first stint was very, very fast; Lando (Norris) and I were within 0.8 seconds of each other the whole time and just pushing each other. Honestly, it was a lot of fun out there. It’s been a while in the dry to be this competitive and very proud of everyone on the team to turn it around within a day, so they definitely also deserve this victory.”
Verstappen crossed the line 6.031 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri third, another 0.788 seconds back.
The 180-degree shift in Verstappen’s fortunes came after teammate Sergio Perez sacrificed his sprint race to do an extended test session to help the team tune both cars for qualifying and the race. It worked and Verstappen took pole for the race, just hours after ending the sprint in eighth. A penalty for impeding George Russell in qualifying pushed Verstappen down one spot to start second.
While Verstappen already clinched his fourth world championship, the constructors title will go down to the season finale in Abu Dhabi next weekend after Leclerc’s second, combined with a sixth from teammate Carlos Sainz, saw Ferrari close the gap to 21 points behind McLaren.
“I’m really happy,” said Leclerc. “We knew it was going to be a very difficult weekend compared to McLaren but, at the end, we managed to take some points away from them so the fight will be all the way to the last race in Abu Dhabi next week. Twenty-one points is still a lot but everything is possible.”
Meanwhile, Norris battled at the front for most of the race before he drew a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags. He served the penalty on Lap 46 and dropped to last on track, in 15th. He rebounded to end the race 10th, while the penalty offered Piastri the opportunity to take a podium finish, which he didn’t miss.
“It was a tricky race,” said Piastri. “The cars at the front had pretty similar pace to each other and it was really tough to make inroads and get into DRS and then far enough into DRS to overtake. A couple of good moments with Charles out there and to end up on the podium. I’m not sure what Lando’s penalty was for.”
The action off the track in Qatar ended up being more spicy than the race, with many questioning the leadership of Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) president Mohammed Ben Sulayem after several high profile resignations and firings in the past few weeks. These included the F1 race director Niels Wittich, newly promoted Formula 2 race director Janette Tan, who resigned before presiding over her first race, and long-serving race steward Tim Mayer.
In response to drivers expressing concerns about the sport’s leadership, Ben Sulayem told Autosport that the sport’s governance is “none of their business.”
“With all respect, I am a driver,” said Ben Sulayem, a former rally driver who became FIA president in 2021. “I respect the drivers. Let them go and concentrate on what they do best, which is race.
“I mean, with the media, with all respect, why do I have to answer everything?” he continued. “I have a responsibility towards my members and towards the sport. I’m not a person who will go and wake up in the morning, go and look at the media. The media are good, but they don’t have votes in the FIA. I have been elected to fix the FIA, and I am fixing it. I am very happy with our new team.”
On Saturday, Piastri won the sprint race after teammate Norris started on pole and led every corner, but slowed after the final turn to let his teammate through for the victory. Norris said he gave the win away as payback for the team ordering Piastri to let him by in Brazil for the sprint race win there.
“I planned to do it since Brazil,” said Norris. “The team told me not to do it, but I thought I could get away with it. I don’t mind; I’m not here to win Sprint races — I’m here to win races and a championship, but that’s not going to plan, you know?”
